When I retired at sixty-four, I began fly-fishing in earnest and joined several clubs to accelerate my learning. The fly fisher fitness book/ initiative grew out of what I observed.
I thought, communing with the wild is fly fisher sustenanceādeep repose and renewal. But the cost of admission is strength and endurance, an uncommon level of fitness. Too few people recognize that physical training is a pathway to this kind of fulfillment. Fitness is often dismissed as boring toil or athletic vanity rather than functional preparation.
Tennis players train. Football players train. Every sport requires physical preparation. Simply playing the game is not enough to perform with speed, strength, stealth, and durability. The same is true for fly fishing. If you want to perform well for the long term, training is nonnegotiable.
